Comics conference coming to Coleraine
Do you remember the first comic you bought? Do you remember the Beano and the Dandy, Roy of the Rovers or maybe the Judy and Bunty? Or maybe even Oor Wullie and The Broons? Do you want to wallow in a bit of graphic nostalgia?
This May, Ulster University, Coleraine Campus, hosts the first Comics Conference to be held in Ireland, which looks at both the academic and practical aspects of graphics. This is the first time that these have been brought together in a single two-day conference on May 2&3.
Held in the Riverside Theatre, Coleraine, the academic session on May 3, features talks by Professor Julia Round, University of Portsmouth, on British girls’ comics of the 1970s/80s; Dr. Stephen Butler, Ulster University, on Manga comics; Dr. Andrew Sneddon and Dr. Victoria McCollum, Ulster University, on the Islandmagee Witches in comics; Joakim Hagstrom, Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, on revolutionary comics in Sweden: Dr. Bob Curran on the American underground press of the 1960s/70s and much more.
In the University Collab Lab, Coleraine, May 3, the practical session includes talks by Nigel Parkinson, Dennis the Menace and the Bash Street Kids,, on comics in education with Paul Malone, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and a discussion panel with the editors of the major comic publications in Northern Ireland – Sector 13, Fool Moon, Local Colour, Panik and much more.
Along with this, a special comic publication will be released featuring an exclusive cover drawn by Nigel Parkinson as part of the overall event.
If you are interested in comics, either for entertainment, cultural or educational purposes, this is an event not to miss. Admission is free but tickets may be required for seating purposes. Visit Eventbrite or the University of Ulster.